University of Florida



[pic]

Hendry County Extension PO Box 68 LaBelle, Florida 33975-0068 Phone (863) 674-4092

January 9, 2010

Brr …cold - about says it all as South Florida shivers through the longest stretch of much below normal temperatures in over 20 years as high temps over the last week struggled to reach into the 50’s. After dodging the bullet on predicted freezing conditions for several days, temperatures dipped below freezing for several hours across most of south Florida on January 6th bringing a hard frost to many areas and variable crop damage in a number of locations ranging from minor foliar burn to killing crops out right in other areas.

In addition to frost damage cold winds and low temps have wind burned foliage and have knocked the blooms off many fruiting vegetables over an extended number of days which will result in short crops in coming weeks.

Heavy night dews and misty rain around Christmas has kept bacteria active in a number of plantings.

FAWN Weather Summary

|Date |Air Temp °F |Rainfall |Ave Relative Humidity |ET (Inches/Day) |

| |Min |Max |(Inches) |(Percent) |(Average) |

|Balm | | | | | |

|12/21/09 – 1/11/10 |26.02 |82.42 | 0.36 |73 |NA |

|Belle Glade | | | | | |

|12/21/09 – 1/11/10 |30.56 |83.1 |0.18 |76 |NA |

|Clewiston | | | | | |

|12/21/09 – 1/11/10 |29.96 |83.03 |0.45 |77 |NA |

|Ft Lauderdale | | | | | |

|12/21/09 – 1/11/10 |36.76 |81.19 |0.17 |70 |NA |

|Fort Pierce | | | | | |

|12/21/09 – 1/11/10 |24.75 |87.94 |0.79 |74 |NA |

|Homestead | | | | | |

|12/21/09 – 1/11/10 |32.24 |80.76 |0.12 |77 |NA |

|Immokalee | | | | | |

|12/21/09 – 1/11/10 |26.31 |81.81 |0.43 |76 |NA |

Wishing you all the very best for a Happy and Prosperous New Year

The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences is an Equal Employment Opportunity – Affirmative Action Employer authorized to provide research, educational,

information, and other services only to individuals and institutions that function without regard to race, color, sex, age, handicap or national origin.

COOPERATIVE EXTENSION WORK IN AGRICULTURE, FAMILY AND CONSUMER SCIENCES, SEA GRANT AND 4-H YOUTH, STATE OF FLORIDA, IFAS, UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, AND BOARDS OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS COOPERATING

Cucumbers, eggplant, green beans, herbs, lettuce, peppers, squash, sweet corn, tomatoes, watermelons, and specialty items moved to market as growers frantically harvested in advance of cold weather. Volumes on most items continue to remain light. Production in the Manatee and St Lucie areas was winding up and the cold temps pretty much finished it off.

The short-term forecast from the National Weather Service in Miami calls for more cold weather over the weekend with freezing temperatures on Sunday and Monday as low or possibly lower than those experienced this week. Forecast call for widespread clouds and cold rain tomorrow followed by potential for a historic freeze and extraordinarily low wind chill values on Sunday morning. By Tuesday temperatures will begin to moderate but remain cool with highs in the 70’s and nights in the 30’s and 40’s.

For additional information, visit the National Weather Service in Miami website at

Insects

Leafminers

Respondents on the East Coast report leafminer pressure was quite high before the cold weather set in but has dropped in the past week.

Growers and scouts around Immokalee report that leafminer activity has been increasing and may take off if the weather moderates.

Reports from Homestead indicate that leaf miner is a problem on many vegetable crops including beans, tomatoes, squash, and basil. 

Whiteflies

Around SW Florida, cold weather has kept whiteflies pretty low over the past week but before that adults were moving out of older fields.

Reports from Palm Beach indicate whitefly pressure is increasing in many places. Numbers are higher in cucurbits.

Worms

Around Southwest Florida, worm pressure has been low.

On the East Coast, respondents indicate that armyworms are mostly low but note that cutworm have been active in newer plantings in some places around Belle Glade and Loxahatchee. They are hitting a variety of crops including broccoli, cauliflowers, Chinese leafy greens, peppers, eggplants and tomatoes and cutting off 3-4% of plants in places.

Aphids

Respondents around Southwest Florida report that aphids are present in a number of locations and colonies are forming in some fields. Growers in Devil’s Garden and the Glades continue to report problems with aphids in greens and crucifers, especially bok choy and mustard greens.

Around Palm Beach County, respondents report that aphids are increasing and have been a particular problem in organic production.

Broad mites

Growers on the East Coast locations report that broad mites are persistent and indicate they are still common in a number of places.

Spider mites

Around Southwest Florida, spider mites have started building in a few locations.

Pepper Weevils

Around Palm Beach County pepper weevils are reportedly bad in some locations. Reports indicate they are bad in some places and low in others.

In Southwest Florida, pepper weevils are showing up all over the area and quickly establishing themselves.  Several older fields now have moderate levels of weevils and scouts report that adults are moving into very young fields

Thrips

Reports from Hillsborough County indicate that strawberry growers were still battling chili thrips until the recent cold weather set in.

Around Palm Beach County, thrips are mostly low although some scouts indicate they are still seeing some western flower thrips in places.

In other areas thrips remain very low.

Stink bugs

Reports indicate that stink bugs are causing some problems on tomatoes and other crops around Southwest Florida.

Diseases

Late Blight

Leon Lucas of Glades Crop Care advises that late blight has been found on tomatoes in Hendry County.

Dr Shouan Zhang, Plant Pathologist at UF/IFAS TREC in Homestead also confirmed late blight on tomato today from samples in Homestead.

He reports that initial samples where obtained during the Christmas break. Field visits last week found some tomato plants with symptoms on stems – water soaked, necrotic and rotting throughout the stem area, mainly on tender plants with bruises by the string.

After incubation, it was confirmed that it was late blight under a microscope.

Growers are advised to increase scouting efforts and apply protectant fungicides – Bravo and other products containing chlorothalonil are among the best in this regard as forecast rains today and tomorrow as well as heavy dews and cold temps over the past few days are favorable for disease development.

Given the fact that late blight is present in South Florida and the weather forecast for the next few days call for increased chance of showers and condition conducive to the spread of the disease.,

Late blight is caused by the fungus Phytophthora infestans, which is a pathogen of potato and tomato. Very few vegetable diseases cause more concern to growers. The disease can spread quickly and devastate a tomato or potato field within a few weeks if not properly controlled.

The disease thrives under cool and wet conditions. Temperatures between 50 and 80oF combined with moist conditions such as rain, fog, heavy dews, or relative humidity above 90 percent are conducive for disease development. Night temperatures in the mid-fifties with daytime temperatures from the mid-fifties to mid-seventies are ideal for this disease.

Since the disease can spread so rapidly, growers should scout their fields thoroughly each day, especially when cool and wet conditions conducive to disease development prevails.

Late blight symptoms on leaves appear as irregularly shaped brown to purplish lesions with indefinite border lesions that can span veins. The lesions may be seen any time of day, on any stage of plant growth and on leaves of any age. Velvety, white fungal growth may appear on the lower surface of affected leaflets early in the morning before leaves dry and/or in the lower canopy.

On stems, purplish lesions may be found any where on the stem. Cottony, white growth of fungus on stems with lesions can often be seen early in the morning and/or in the lower canopy. Stems with lesions are brittle and break easily. Lesions are confined to epidermis and cortex. Leaf rolling and wilting is often associated with stem lesions and purpling of leaflets may occur in some varieties.

Currently, fungicides are the most effective means of controlling late blight and will remain the primary tool until cultivars with resistance to this disease become available. Fungicides slow the rate at which the disease develops in the field by creating a protective barrier on the foliage. Just applying a chemical, however, does not necessarily equate with effective disease control. Relative effectiveness of a product, coverage, and timing must be factored into the equation for maximum benefit.

Numerous fungicide products are registered for late blight control. Protectants, as the name implies, protect foliage from infection by spores. Protectant chemicals must be well distributed over the leaf surface and must be applied before spores land on leaves. They are ineffective against established infections.

Systemic products become distributed locally within plant tissues and protect foliage from infection by spores. They may kill some established infections and may suppress production of new spores. Even a short break in spray schedules, despite what is said regarding some of the newer fungicides, can result in a dramatic increase in blight under conducive environmental conditions. 

See Tomato Production in Florida for a listing of fungicides.

Bacterial leaf spot

Over the past few weeks, bacterial spot on tomatoes and pepper has emerged as a big problem around Homestead. Some growers report that disease symptoms are present right to top of tomatoes plants and a lot of flowers are infected and aborting.

Respondents in Southwest Florida report that bacterial spot is still a serious issue in tomatoes with lesions right up to the top of some plants. Bacterial spot has also jumped on peppers in a number of places.

Around Hillsborough County, strawberry growers have been irrigating heavily for cold protection and expect to see an increase in bacteria behind the cold weather.

Growers and scouts in Palm Beach County report that the bacterial spot is rampant in tomatoes and some growers indicate that it is as bad as they have ever seen it going all the way up to the tops of plants. Bacterial leaf spot is also widely present in pepper. Incidence is high and severity moderate to severe especially on farms that are using older less resistant varieties. Some fields have 100% infection across the field only varying in degrees.

TYLCV

Around SW Florida, TYLCV is increasing pretty much across the board although the level of increase varies depending on location.  Some older fields have reached 50 - 80% infection levels and scouts indicate they are starting to see new symptoms in young fields.  Some reports of infected transplants have also been received.

Growers and scouts around Palm Beach report that TYLCV remains mostly low.

TYLCV is also low around Homestead with only a few scattered plants here and there.

Target Spot

Growers and scouts around Immokalee report that target spot continues to be a problem in many older tomato fields. Target spot is widespread and many mature fields have lost most of the inner foliage to target spot and fruit infections have hurt pack outs.  

Reports from Palm Beach County indicate that target spot is widely present on tomato.

Early Blight

Low levels of early blight are beginning to show up on tomato around the area.

Powdery mildew

Powdery mildew is present on eggplant and to a lesser extent on peppers around Palm Beach County.

Phytophthora

Around Southwest Florida, phytophthora is increasing in older pepper.

Reports from Palm Beach County indicate that problems with Phytophthora are increasing in peppers, eggplants, and beans especially on low ends and wetter fields.

Fusarium

Growers around Southwest Florida report that they are seeing an increase in fusarium in tomatoes and expect it will be on the rise over the next few weeks with the extra water used for cold protection. 

Sclerotinia

Reports from Palm Beach County report that Sclerotinia has slowed down in pepper over the past few weeks.

Botyrtis

Reports from around SW Florida indicate that botrytis is present in some older tomatoes.

Critters

Monk Parrots

Reports indicate that monk parrots are trashing young tomato plants and transplants in some fields around Broward County. Apparently the birds are picking out the growing point and breaking plants off.

News You Can Use

USDA Report aimed at Smaller Organic Producers

The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the California Institute for Rural Studies have collaborated on a report aimed at helping smaller California growers of organic fruits and vegetables.

The difficulty of getting price premiums for organic produce, the inconsistency of supply, trouble finding buyers, lack of price information and meeting buyers’ requirements are among the issues addressed in “Breaking Down Market Barriers for Small and Mid-sized Organic Growers,” according to a USDA news release.

The report, funded by the USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service and written by the Davis-based California Institute for Rural Studies, provides information on breaking down the barriers between growers, buyers, policy makers, organizations and researchers; hosting workshops on marketing, food safety, wholesaler relationships, online marketing and other issues; and lobbying public agencies to give organic and local foods “preferential purchase” status.

The study is the latest AMS initiative aimed at helping organic producers. The agency recently expanded its Market News price data service to include more organic commodities. AMS will co-sponsor two food safety workshops in 2010 aimed at smaller organic producers, according to the release. Packer 12/29/2009

Proposed Rulemaking for Water Quality Standards for the State of Florida's Lakes and Flowing Waters

EPA is proposing numeric nutrient water quality criteria to protect aquatic life in lakes and flowing waters, including canals, within the State of Florida and proposing regulations to establish a framework for Florida to develop “restoration standards” for impaired waters. EPA is issuing this proposed rule pursuant to a determination that EPA made on January 14, 2009, under section 303(c)(4)(B) of the Clean Water Act.

The determination states that numeric nutrient water quality criteria for lakes and flowing waters and for estuaries and coastal waters are necessary for the State of Florida to meet the requirements of Clean Water Act section 303(c). EPA intends to sign the proposed rule addressing lakes and flowing waters on January 14, 2010, per the terms of a consent decree. This proposed rule will be published in the Federal Register.

Stakeholder Input on Proposed Rulemaking - EPA is holding three public hearings in Florida during the public comment period for the proposed rule. The public comment period will begin on the day the proposed rule is published in the Federal Register, and will last for 60 days. The public hearings will afford an opportunity for the public to provide comments on EPA’s proposed rule. Brief oral comments and written comments will be accepted at the hearings. Due to the large number of expected commenters, EPA expects to limit each oral comment to five minutes or less in order to give everyone an opportunity to speak. You do not have to be present at the hearings in order to provide written comments on the proposed rule (the proposed rule will contain information on how you can submit written comments). The dates and locations of the hearings are as follows:

February 16, 2010: 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. at the Holiday Inn Capitol East, 1355 Apalachee Parkway, Tallahassee, FL 32301

February 17, 2010: 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. at the Crowne Plaza Orlando Universal, 7800 Universal Boulevard, Orlando, FL 32819

February 18, 2010: 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. at the Holiday Inn Palm Beach Airport, 1301 Belvedere Road, West Palm Beach, FL 33405

Florida Freeze Far From Over

Though damage estimates aren’t fully known yet, severe cold weather has harmed south Florida vegetable production and is sending vegetables prices skyrocketing — and the worst is yet to come.

Grower-shippers were assessing damages caused by freezing weather that struck the Sunshine State early in the week of Jan. 4. However, they say they are expecting arctic temperatures that are forecast to hit south Florida Jan. 8-10 to be the coldest nights and possibly cause more severe damage to their plants.

The evenings of Jan. 8-9 are expected to be the most damaging, said Jeff Stepanovich, a salesman for Florida Specialties Inc., Immokalee.

Stepanovich said freezing temperatures Jan. 4-5 caused scattered damage.

“We have picked some early as there will be a gap from that,” he said Jan. 7. “The bean deal will definitely have some issues for the next few weeks.”

Stepanovich quoted $20 FOB for cartons of bell pepper, compared to $5-6 the week before the cold snap. Green beans were $35 for cartons and crates on Jan. 7, up from $30-31 the U.S. Department of Agriculture reported earlier in the week, Stepanovich said.

Eggplant had jumped from $8-10 to $18.

“All the prices are reflective of what’s happening,” he said. “We can’t harvest anything, as there’s not enough heat. We will all hold our breath and see what happens.”

In Belle Glade, the hub of Florida’s winter corn deal, Bryan Biederman, assistant sales manager for Pioneer Growers Co-op, Belle Glade, said damage estimates haven’t arrived yet for Palm Beach County beans and corn.

“We saw frost outside of Belle Glade and lots of frost in town as well,” he said Jan. 7.

Stephen Miller, sales manager of J&J Ag Products Inc., Clewiston, said temperatures fell to 29 degrees for several hours on Jan. 4-5.

“I’m hearing we lost a bunch of beans and corn,” he said. “We don’t know all the details. We need to wait until it warms up before we pass judgment on this. I have seen where the beans looked damaged, but two to three days later, they had some green on them."

As of Jan. 7, it was hard to tell how much damage tomato crops had suffered, said Samantha Winters, director of education and promotion for the Maitland-based Florida Tomato Committee.

What was clear, Winters said, is that there has been some damage — and that there could be more soon.

"Most certainly there has been some fruit loss and bloom drop," she said. "We will not know anything for a while. At this point in time, our growers are bracing themselves for another expected freeze this weekend."

Packer 1.8.2010

Deadline Looms for National Leafy Greens Agreement Comments

A U.S. Department of Agriculture comment deadline is nearing for industry comments on the proposed National Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement.

 Those wishing to submit comments before the Jan. 13 deadline can go to the USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service Web site.

Industry advocates of the proposed national marketing agreement have previously said they hope the USDA can make a decision to go ahead with the marketing agreement sometime in the first quarter of 2010.

The USDA also heard comments during a series of hearings on the issue.

United Fresh Produce Association President Tom Stenzel said a concern that surfaced from the meetings is the need for the agreement to reflect regional differences.

“ That’s precisely what we believe USDA needs to do in considering a future marketing agreement, as well as (the Food and Drug Administration) in considering potential produce safety regulations,” Stenzel said in a release to United Fresh members. “No one can be exempt from food safety requirements, but standards need to be commodity-specific, based on risk, and flexible enough to protect public health across multiple types of farm operations.” Packer on 12/29/2009

Navigating the Canadian Marketplace - Town Hall Meetings - January 19-22, 2010

Doing business in Canada? Interested in the opportunity?

Agricultural products are Florida’s leading export sector to Canada. Join us at one of these timely Town Hall Meetings to learn more about this valuable export market opportunity. Highlights will include:

• Payments and quality claims

• Inspections and border issues

• Maximum residue levels

• Food safety

• Labeling

• and more…

Mark your calendar … there’s a free meeting at a place convenient for you.

• Tuesday, Jan. 19 Dade County CES, Homestead 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.

• Wednesday, Jan. 20 UF Indian River REC, Fort Pierce 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.

• Wednesday, Jan. 20 Palm Beach County CES, West Palm 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.

• Thursday, Jan. 21 Southwest Florida REC, Immokalee 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.

• Thursday, Jan. 21 Gulf Coast REC, Balm 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.

• Friday, Jan. 22 Hilton Garden Inn, Valdosta, Ga. 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.

Sessions will include buffet lunch or dinner. RSVP by calling 321-214-5200 or contact Mike Aerts, FFVA Director of Membership and Marketing, at Mike.Aerts@

South Florida Vegetable Pest and Disease Hotline – if you get the hotline second hand from another source you may be missing the Quotable Quotes and The Lighter Side – to subscribe direct – email gmcavoy@ufl.edu

Up Coming Meetings

January 19-22, 2010 NAVIGATING THE CANADIAN MARKETPLACE - Town Hall Meetings

Doing business in Canada? Interested in the opportunity?

Agricultural products are Florida’s leading export sector to Canada. Join us at this timely Town Hall Meeting to learn more about this valuable export market opportunity. Highlights will include:

• Payments and quality claims

• Inspections and border issues

• Maximum residue levels

• Food safety

• Labeling

• and more…

Mark your calendar … there’s a free meeting convenient for you.

Tuesday, Jan. 19 - Dade County CES, Homestead, 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.

Wednesday, Jan. 20 - UF Indian River REC, Fort Pierce, 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.

Wednesday, Jan. 20 - Palm Beach County CES, West Palm, 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.

Thursday, Jan. 21 - Southwest Florida REC, Immokalee, 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.

Thursday, Jan. 21 - Gulf Coast REC, Balm, 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.

Friday, Jan. 22 - Hilton Garden Inn, Valdosta, Ga., 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.

Sessions will include buffet lunch or dinner.

RSVP by calling 321-214-5200 or contact Mike Aerts, FFVA director of membership and marketing, at Mike.Aerts@

January 24-27, 2010 US Composting Council 18th Annual Conference and Trade Show

Wyndham Resort, Orlando, Florida

Annual Conference and Exhibition is the most widely attended composting and organics recycling show in North America. For more information, go to

Opportunities

Commercial Development Representatives - Valent USA is seeking a two Commercial Development Reps (West Coast & East Coast) to work on biorational products.

Valent USA is seeking two hands-on leaders to spearhead a greater emphasis on biorational products. This individual will serve as a critical liaison between university extension agriculture experts, Valent's agriculture product distributors, and Valent customers in the field and distributors' locations. This includes coordinating internal staff and resources with external partners and customers. This person will be essential in providing guidance to sales representatives. As an individual contributor, it is critical that this person be a self-starter.

The following responsibilities will fall under his/her control:

• Initiate, direct and execute scientific research and/or development strategies for biorational products through research staff or individual studies.

• Investigate the feasibility of applying a wide variety of scientific principles and concepts to potential opportunities, products or problems.

• Plan and execute field research for biorational products.

• Manage the technical development of the sales group and interface with various departments.

The CDR must possess an in-depth understanding of the biological pesticides and develop a proficiency to explain the biorational product line and train Sales colleagues in their use. Since he/she will regularly interact with the Field Market Developers (FMDs), it is of utmost importance to foster an effective working relationship with them. A key ingredient for success in this role is the ability to work with others and demonstrate strong personal skills with people throughout the agriculture industry.

The selected individual will travel up to 40%. The West coast position will be based in the candidate's home office, ideally in Central California, the Fresno area and/or Washington State. The East Coast position will be located in the State of Florida, Georgia, Michigan, New York or Pennsylvania. There may be a significant amount of car travel as well.

The ideal candidate will have:

• •A B.S. degree in an agricultural or biological science such as plant physiology or agricultural science. An advanced degree such as an M.S., Ph.D. or MBA in business agriculture, entomology, plant physiology, agriculture sciences, plant science, horticulture or a biological science a plus.

• A minimum of five years relevant industry experience, preferably with ten or more years experience in field development.

• Extensive knowledge of agricultural practices and work experience with Plant Growth Regulators (PGRs) is preferred, and Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) experience is ideal.

• A record of successful product development and commercialization.

In addition to a salary, this position is eligible for a significant annual cash bonus, which is tied to sales and job performance goals.

Contact Joanne Yawitz, President, Bay View Resource Group, on a proprietary and confidential basis.

Telephone: 415-441-351 E-mail: jyawitzbvrg@

Website:

Farm Land for Lease

Farm Land for lease in LaBelle area – contact Clyde Lavender at 863-673-2338

Quality agricultural land with easy access to SR 710 and SR 76. 1000+/- acres, available in Martin County for lease, or possible joint venture production of vegetable crops, bio-fuels, etc. Call John Merritt at 863-699-6090.

Websites

Agricultural Emergency Report – AG-ER’s goal is to create a one-stop interactive informational exchange for Florida’s 47,000 farm families, and all our industry relatives. AG-ER uses a variety of credible resources to compile time-sensitive and accurate information before, during and after adverse weather events. Go to

Florida Automated Weather Network – the UF/IFAS FAWN site provides up to date weather observations from, a network of weather station around the state. In addition to real-time weather, the sight features a weather database which allows you to generate customized reports as well as management tools. Check it out at

Quotable Quotes

Character is like a tree and reputation like its shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing. - Abraham Lincoln

The optimist proclaims that we live in the best of all possible worlds; and the pessimist fears this is true. - James Branch Cabell

No one has a finer command of language than the person who keeps his mouth shut. - Sam Rayburn

Wisdom doesn't automatically come with old age. Nothing does - except wrinkles. It's true, some wines improve with age. But only if the grapes were good in the first place. - Abigail Van Buren

It is not white hair that engenders wisdom. - Menander

On the Lighter Side

A Blond Visits the Farm

A young blond lady from the city was driving her convertible through the country and passed a local farm. Seeing the farmer out feeding the animals she decided to stop and ask about them. "Mister, why doesn't this cow have any horns?" asked the young lady?

The farmer cocked his head for a moment, then began in a patient tone, "Well, ma'am, cattle can do a powerful lot of damage with horns. Sometimes we keep'em trimmed down with a hacksaw. Other times we can fix up the young 'uns by puttin' a couple drops of acid where their horns would grow in, and that stops 'em cold. Still, there are some breeds of cattle that never grow horns.

But the reason this cow don't have no horns, ma'am, is 'because it's a horse."

A Few Bad Puns

A jumper cable walks into a bar. The bartender says, "I'll serve you, but don't start anything."

A vulture boards an airplane, carrying two dead raccoons. The stewardess looks at him and says, "I'm sorry, sir,

Two Eskimos sitting in a kayak were chilly, so they proving once again that you can't have your kayak and heat it too.

Two hydrogen atoms meet. One says "I've lost my electron," The other says, "Are you sure?" The first replies "Yes, I'm positive."

Mahatma Gandhi, as you know, walked barefoot most of the time, which produced an impressive set of calluses on his feet. He also ate every little, which made him rather frail and with his odd diet, he suffered from bad breath. This made him... (Oh, man, this is so bad, it's good)..... A super calloused fragile mystic hexed by halitosis.

And finally, there was the person who sent ten different puns to his friends, with the hope that at least one of the puns would make them laugh. No pun in ten did.

TAPS

Here is something EVERY AMERICAN should know.

We in the United States have all heard the haunting song, "Taps." It's the song that gives us that lump in our throats and usually tears in our eyes.

But, do you know the story behind the song? If not, you will be interested to find out about its humble beginnings.

Reportedly, it all began in 1862 during the Civil War, when Union Army Captain Robert Ellicombe was with his men near Harrison's Landing in Virginia. The Confederate Army was on the other side of the narrow strip of land. During the night, Captain Ellicombe heard the moans of a soldier who lay severely wounded on the field.

Not knowing if it was a Union or Confederate soldier, the Captain decided to risk his life and bring the stricken man back for medical attention. Crawling on his stomach through the gunfire, the Captain reached the stricken soldier and began pulling him toward his encampment. When the Captain finally reached his own lines, he discovered it was actually a Confederate soldier, but the soldier was dead.

The Captain lit a lantern and suddenly caught his breath and went numb with shock. In the dim light, he saw the face of the soldier. It was his own son. The boy had been studying music in the South when the war broke out. Without telling his father, the boy enlisted in the Confederate Army.

The following morning, heartbroken, the father asked permission of his superiors to give his son a full military burial, despite his enemy status. His request was only partially granted. The Captain had asked if he could have a group of Army band members play a funeral dirge for his son at the funeral. The request was turned down since the soldier was a Confederate. But, out of respect for the father, they did say they could give him only one musician. The Captain chose a bugler. He asked the bugler to play a series of musical notes he had found on a piece of paper in the pocket of the dead youth's uniform. This wish was granted.

The haunting melody, we now know as "Taps" ... used at military funerals was born.

The words are....

Day is done ... Gone the sun...From the lakes ... From the hills...From the sky... All is well... Safely rest ... God is nigh.

Fading light ... Dims the sight ... And a star... Gems the sky... Gleaming bright... from afar... Drawing nigh ... Falls the night.

Thanks and praise ... For our days ... Neath the sun. Neath the stars... Neath the sky ... As we go... This we know. God is nigh.

I, too, have felt the chills while listening to "Taps" but I have never seen all the words to the song until now. I didn't even know there was more than one verse.

I also never knew the story behind the song and I didn't know if you had either so I thought I'd pass it along. I now have an even deeper respect for the song than I did before.

PLEASE REMEMBER THOSE LOST AND HARMED WHILE SERVING THEIR COUNTRY and also those presently serving in the Armed Forces.

Note: State and local budgets cuts are threatening to further reduce our funding – if you are receiving currently receiving the hotline by mail and would like to switch over to electronic delivery – just drop me an email. It is much quicker and you will get the hotline with in minutes of my completing it and help conserve dwindling resources at the same time. Thanks to those that have already made the switch.

Contributors include: Joel Allingham/AgriCare, Inc, Jeff Becthel/Syngenta Flowers, Bruce Corbitt/West Coast Tomato Growers, Fred Heald/Farmers Supply, Sarah Hornsby/AgCropCon, Cecil Howell/H & R Farms, Loren Horsman/Glades Crop Care, Bruce Johnson/General Crop Management, Barry Kostyk/SWFREC, Dr. Mary Lamberts/Miami-Dade County Extension, Leon Lucas/Glades Crop Care, Mark Mossler/UF/IFAS Pesticide Information Office, Gene McAvoy/Hendry County Extension, Alice McGhee/Thomas Produce, Dr.Gregg Nuessly/EREC Chuck Obern/C&B Farm, Dr. Monica Ozores-Hampton/SWFREC, Dr. Ken Pernezny/EREC, Dr. Rick Raid/ EREC, Dr Ron Rice/Palm Beach County Extension, Dr Pam Roberts/SWFREC, Dr. Nancy Roe/Farming Systems Research, Wes Roan/6 L's, Dr. Dak Seal/ TREC, Kevin Seitzinger/Gargiulo, Ken Shuler/Stephen’s Produce, Crystal Snodgrass/Manatee County Extension, John Stanford/Thomas Produce, Mike Stanford/MED Farms, Dr. Phil Stansly/SWFREC, Dr David Sui/Palm Beach County Extension, Dr Gary Vallad/GCREC , Mark Verbeck/GulfCoast Ag, Alicia Whidden/Hillsborough County Extension, Dr Henry Yonce/KAC Ag Research and Dr. Shouan Zhang/TREC.

The South Florida Pest and Disease Hotline is compiled by Gene McAvoy and is issued on a biweekly basis by the Hendry County Cooperative Extension Office as a service to the vegetable industry.

Gene McAvoy

County Extension Director / Extension Agent IV

Regional Specialized Agent - Vegetables/Ornamental Horticulture

Hendry County Extension Office 863-674-4092 phone

PO Box 68 863-673-5939 mobile - Nextel 159*114449*

LaBelle, Florida 33975 863-674-4637 fax

Web: GMcAvoy@ifas.ufl.edu

Special Thanks to the generous support of our sponsors; who make this publication possible.

Special Thanks to the generous support of our sponsors; who make this publication possible.

Special Thanks to the generous support of our sponsors; who make this publication possible.

NOTE:  The acknowledgement of sponsorship in no way constitutes or reflects an official endorsement of these businesses or their products or services by either the University of Florida, IFAS, the Florida Cooperative Extension Service, or the Hendry County Extension Office.  Sponsors have no control over the content of this publication

-----------------------

FMC

FMC Corporation APG

Ron Palumbo

Cell 305-304- 7941

Nextel Agnet 14772

Ronald Palumbo@

PUT YOUR NAME HERE

SOUTH FLORIDA

VEGETABLE PEST AND DISEASE

HOTLINE

Robert Murray

Wedgworth’s Inc

Big W Brand Fertilizer

Phone 561-996-2076 Cell 239-707-2272

Thomas Produce Company

Of South Florida

Grower and Shippers of Quality Vegetables

9905 Clint Moore Road

Boca Raton, Florida 33496

Fred Heald

Farmers Supply Inc

710 Broward Street

Immokalee, FL 34142

Phone 239-657-8254 Fax 239-657-2005

BioSafe Systems LLC

Carol Howard

Mobley Plant World

1351 W Cowboy Way

LaBelle, Florida 33935

Phone 863-675 -2020

Mark Myers

Agriliance/ProSource One

Immokalee, Florida

Phone 239-657-8374 Mobile 239-253-6631

E-mail: memyers@

Gargiulo

Growers Shippers Importers Exporters

David Pensabene: Production Manager

Naples Operations

Phone 239-353-0300 Fax 239-353-3407

Ed Early

Dupont Agricultural Products

5100 South Cleveland Avenue

Fort Myers, Florida 33907

Phone 239-332-1467 Mobile 239-994-8594

Luis Hansen 305.793.9206

Sim NiFong

863.441.1057

Jay Hallaron

Chemtura Corporation

321-231-2277 cell 407-256-4667 cell

jay_hallaron@

Dr. Nancy Roe

Farming Systems Research

5609 Lakeview Mews Drive

Boynton Beach, Florida 33437

Phone 561-638-2755

Matt Arnold

Crop Production Services

116 Jerome Drive

Immokalee, Florida

239-657-3168 office 239-464-5763 cell

Glades Crop Care, Inc.

Leaders in Crop Health

Management

Charlie Mellinger, Ph.D.

Phone 561-746-3740 Fax 561-746-3775

Rachel Walters

Bayer CropScience

32871 Washington Loop Road

Punta Gorda, FL  33982

Phone 941-575-5149 Cell 239-707-1198

Farmer Mikes LLC

Mike Clevenger J.J. Black

15960 CR 858

Immokalee, Fl 34142

Office 239-658-0592 Fax 239-658-0593

Glen Kaufman

Paramount Seeds, Inc.

PO Box 1866

Palm City, Florida 34991

Phone 772-221-0653 Fax 772-221-0102

OmniLytics - AgriPhage

Safe Natural Effective

Vegetable Bacteria Control

Dave Cole - 561-261-1545

Tony Swensen - 801-808-2132

Cody Hoffman

Syngenta Crop Protection

PO Box 1940

Fort Myers, FL 33902

Cell 321- 436-2591

Jason Osborne

Marrone Bio Innovations    

239-707-7168 cell

josborne@

Brent Beer

Beer Leveling &

Land Development

Office 863-675-1663 863-673-3173 cell 158*17*43857 Nextel

Scott Houk

Dow AgroSciences LLC

 

Phone 239-948-3999

Email sehouk@

Certis USA

Bio-Pesticides for Crop Production

Joe Craig - 863-291-9203

Chuck Goodowns - 352-538-4471

Chuck Obern

C & B Farm

CR 835

Clewiston, FL 33440

Office 863-983-8269 Fax 863-983-8030

Cell 239-250-0551

Sarah Hornsby, CCA

Agricultural Crop Consulting, Inc

Scouting: Manatee, Hillsborough, Collier

Office/Fax 941-776-1122

Cell 941-713-6116

Email: AgCropCon@

ORO AGRI

Pesticides and Spreader Oils

OROCIT/ PREV-AM/WETCIT

Jerry Dukes 941-524-1312

UAP/Agriliance/Helena

Garry Gibson

BASF Corporation

1502 53rd Avenue

Vero Beach, Florida 32966

Office 772-778-4646 AGNET 21726      

w.garry.gibson@

Valent USA

"Products That Work

From People Who Care"

Sarah Markle           863-673-8699

Donald Allen

AGLIME SALES INC

1375 Thornburg Road

Babson Park, Florida 33827-9549

Office 863-638-1481 Fax 863-638-2312 Mobil 863-287-2925

Scott Allison

Diamond R Fertilizer

PO Box 1898

LaBelle, FL 33975

(863) 675-3700

sagator@

Steve Mike Dave

Jamerson Farms

Growers, Packers and Shippers of Florida’s Finest Vegetables

Phone 239-229-5734 Fax 239-368-0969

Dr. Henry Yonce

KAC Agricultural Research

Scouting, Consulting

Research

386-736-0098 work 386-527-1124 cell

HDYONCE@

OxiDate®

TerraClean®

StorOx®

info@

AgraQuest Inc

Steve Melchert

Eastern Divisional Manager

239-633-2403 cell

Richard Roles

Roles Marketing International

Distributors of Agrig[pic]qrŠ‹ùúG H I N O P X Y Z _ ` a k m ? — ¥ æ ÷óä÷óÜÔóÔóÔóÐÂоº¯¤™¯ŽŠ|q|f|R'hžH¶hžH¶5?CJOJPJQJ^JaJhC'“5?CJOJQJh¹x5?CJOJQJro and Super Cal  10% Calcium

richard@ 

Cell 561-644-3511

PUT YOUR NAME HERE

Jack Kilgore

239-707-7677

Natural Industries Inc

info@

Actinovate ® AG

Biological Fungicide

................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download